OCC Cruising Nail Lacquer

OCC Cruising Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as “brassy gold shimmer.” It is supposed to coordinate with Cruising Loose Colour Concentrate. It’s a warmed-up yellow-tinted gold glitter mixed with brassier gold glitter particles. In lower light conditions, it looks warmer, more gold against my skin tone (which has yellow undertones), but under brighter light, it has a brassier look (more like the loose eyeshadow). The color reminded me most of China Glaze Midnight Kiss, except Cruising is the glitter version of it.

OCC’s formula is four-free (it does not include DBP, formaldehyde, toulene, or formaldehyde resin), and it wears a full week on me with minor tip wear (but no chipping). Cruising has a glitter finish, so it will dry down really quickly–which is lovely–but you’ll pay for it later with removal (just as you would with any glittery polish). I find that pressing a soaked piece of felt or cotton against the nail for 15-20 seconds and then repeating on the other shades works well. I press and hold for each finger, and when I’ve done that for all ten, I go back to the first and actually go to pull and remove the polish off the nail. The coverage is noteworthy for two coats of polish, too–nearly opaque. The consistency of this polish stood out to me; it was a great balance in thickness that allowed for opaque color and even glitter distribution.

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Yes, I did. A really good friend of mine was great at shaping to a point, but over time, my brows seemed to get thinner with each reshaping and eventually I decided to grow them back out. I tweezed stray hairs that I knew were not going to be part of any new shape–the ones that were just not even close to that “dream brow.”

Deborah Lippmann for Beauty.com @ Costello Tagliapietra S/S 2012

Today, I went backstage at the Costello Tagliapietra with Beauty.com to check out Deborah Lippmann, who was (obviously!) responsible for the nail look at the show. Lippmann first polished nails with one coat of Waking Up in Vegas (described as a “beautiful putty shade”) and then layered with a coat of Fashion (described as an unusual taupe) to come up with a customized take on nudes and grays but with a warmer undertone. I personally loved that Deborah Lippmann’s team wore black shirts that said, “Get Nailed on the DL!”

The hair was slicked back (which seems to be a big trend this season), while the makeup was simple but more than neutral with a burnt orange shade done all over the eyes and lips.